The present invention relates to soft projectiles or “darts” of the kind that might be deployed by toy shooting devices such as a toy guns. The invention more particularly although not exclusively, relates to a soft projectile having a suction cup at its leading end.
Such projectiles are often fired at smooth surfaces such as a wall or window pane. The suction cup at the leading end attaches the projectile to the smooth surface until such time as a child removes it.
An example of a known toy gun and soft projectile is shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. The toy gun 1 fires the soft projectile 2 as shown in FIG. 1. The soft projectile itself (FIGS. 2 to 4) comprises a hollow tubular body 3 made of lightweight semi-rigid foam or plastics material. A soft suction cup 4 made of rubber or other resilient (plastics) material has a flange 7 and a soft fixing stem 5. Adhesive 6 underneath the flange 7 and about the fixing stem 5 secures the suction cup 4 to the tubular body 3.
A problem discovered with this design is demonstrated in FIGS. 2 to 4. Moreover, when tension is placed on the projectile (as would typically occur when a child grasps the tubular body to detach the projectile from a window pane for example), the flange is pulled away from the leading end of the tubular body 3 as the soft fixing stem 5 extends longitudinally. As a result of a longitudinal extension of the fixing stem, it contracts inwardly and away from the inner surface of the tubular body in a radial direction thereby peeling away the adhesive 6 toward the inner end of the fixing stem until such time as the two parts become detached. The detached suction cup 4—being quite small in size—presents a choking danger to small children.